Standouts from ECNL Girls San Diego 2010s

The ECNL San Diego Event wrapped up on Monday from Southern California. The event featured some of the top teams in the country in the 2010, 2011 2012, and 2013 age groups. Below are some of the standouts from the games in the 2010 age group.      Energy and effort defined the attitude from Barrett on the final day of the event. The Solar forward was committed to seeing her team end the trip to San Diego with a victory. She created chances with her pressure and nonstop effort plays. She also created chances with her skill. She wasn't afraid to bring the ball down and showcase her first touch even when playing with multiple defenders on her back. Barrett created chances with her link up play too. It was a stellar showing from the forward.     It took something special to score against Slammers and Hartsfield delivered that moment of brilliance. The outside back hit a wonder striker with her left from a nearly impossible angle that caught everyone off guard. Hartsfield's tally showed how valuable she is on both sides of the ball to her team. [player_tooltip player_id='210628' first='Addison' last='Staats'] and Harper Castillo were also bright spots from the Solar outside back position.     I thought Link was outstanding in the first half against Solar. She presents such a unique challenge for the opposition. Surf's system and style of play is going to dominate the possession aspect of the game. Link will get plenty of touches on the ball because the opposition is forced to bunker. She is capable of punishing the opposition when she has extended time on the ball with her passing - and her ability to put shots on frame from 30 yards out. Defensively, she handled the Solar attack with her expert positioning and timing on tackles.     Burris showed quite a bit of creativity in her play as the center of the attack for Surf. She was good at providing a variety of ways to fool the center backs - both with her runs off the ball to create space for teammates and how she would lay off passes or dummy crosses to give teammates chances to score. She's an unselfish player in the role, but her brilliance makes it work for Surf.     Quevedo was a standout from the Slammers side. She is an impactful two-way player. She is skillful on the ball and creates chances with her dribbling and passing. The reason she made such an impression is her defense. She is one of the best defenders from an attacking position. She's physical, aggressive, and fearless. She's going to be a top player for Slammers this season in the ECNL.     Santiago was all over the place in the game against Solar. I believe she played three positions in that game and looked great at every spot. She saved a shot off the line when she was playing center back and stopped countless attacks.     Zuniga continues to impress with her play. The MVLA left back was immediately impactful as a two-way player. Shut down defender on the island and then immediately springing the attack the opposite way. Zuniga is a bright talent from Northern California and already looks to be one of the cornerstones of the National Team in this age group.     Yoshimura is so good at finding pockets of space against the opposition. She sees the field so clearly - it's as if she has a bird's eye perspective of the field while being on the ground. She was great at creating chances with her clever movement and then clean one or two-touch play near the top of the box. She's an outstanding talent.     Nacelli scored the opening goal against MVLA. The center forward worked her way out of pressure against two Youth National Team-level defenders and then hit a cross/shot from near the corner flag that tucked into the goal near the back post - a nearly unstoppable shot. Nacelli continues to prove that she is a top center forward in the 2010 age group at the national level.     The highly ranked defender proved her quality during the ECNL event. The Slammers Koge right center back had a highlight-reel worthy game against MVLA. She made a number of game-deciding plays. The sequence worth noting happened early as her accurate distribution to center forward [player_tooltip player_id='186182' first='Giselle' last='Nacelli'] forced MVLA to drop back and account for that type of range of passing. It opened up the center of the field for Slammers Koge and then allowed Huddleston to play a variety of passes through the rest of the game to keep the defense guessing. Defensively, she made a number of key plays including a late tackle to stop an attack early in the first half that shut off a clear chance for MVLA. She showed excellent recovery speed and good timing with her tackle. Huddleston helped Slammers Koge finish the event with an undefeated record.

The ECNL San Diego Event wrapped up on Monday from Southern California. The event featured some of the top teams in the country in the 2010, 2011 2012, and 2013 age groups. Below are some of the standouts from the games in the 2010 age group.